Vigilante By Night
by skca54
Summary: Dave Lizewski is ten-years-old. He is an orphan and has been for about two months. His life changes, one day, when an eight-year-old girl moves into the same foster home. She has a secret and she is very alone in the world. The jury is still out on whether the change is for the better!
1. Mindy Macready

**Authors Note:** _This story will be my twenty-second (published) story._

 **Synopsis:** _This story is based on the Hit Girl and Kick-Ass characters from the original Kick-Ass movie but exists in an alternative universe. Dave Lizewski is ten-years-old. Both of his parents are dead having been killed in a car crash. He has been in temporary foster care for two months and he is not enjoying himself one bit. His life changes, one day, when an eight-year-old girl moves into the same foster home. The jury is still out on whether the change is for the better!_

* * *

 ** _The Foster Home_**

Dave was _not_ happy.

The foster system sucked, but he knew there was nothing he could do about that – he would just have to tough it out for another eight years. The home he was in was some kind of halfway house where kids stayed until they had more permanent foster allocations. The other three kids, all boys, were okay, but he generally did not get on with them; he never felt like he fitted in.

That morning though, all was going to change – his life was going to head in a _very_ different direction.

..._...

"Get your fucking hands off of me!"

It was a young girl's voice, full of malice.

"Don't talk like that, young lady; it is not nice and not very lady like..."

That was Grace, the lady who 'ran' the foster home with her husband, Frank. Dave liked Grace, she was nice and Dave had no reason not to like her. Frank was okay too, so he had no complaints. However, Grace did not tolerate swearing or bad behaviour, otherwise their place was comfortable and very homely.

"You may not have noticed, but I am no damn lady!" The girl continued in the same tone of voice.

* * *

I peered out of the living room and caught sight of a short girl with blonde hair.

She was maybe a couple of inches over four feet tall, with a slender body form and as I caught a glance at her face, quite cute. She was also raging, which just made her look cuter – at least _I_ thought so!

"Dave!"

Oops, Grace had seen me.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Could you take Mindy upstairs, please? She'll be in the room next door to you. Help her to get settled and then let her know about my _rules_. Thank you, Dave."

The girl, Mindy, scowled at me, pushed past and headed up the stairs. She was lugging a large pack with her. I followed and found her at the top of the stairs glaring at me.

"Where now, _Dave_?"

"Err, second on the right – I'm in the first on the right..."

"Great!" The girl growled, pushing open the door to her new bedroom.

I followed her in. The room was small, with just a bed, a built in cupboard, a desk and a chair.

"I've slept in worse places I suppose..." She mused.

"I'm Dave, Dave Lizewski..."

The girl sat down on the bed and then she reluctantly held out her hand.

"Oh for God's sake! Mindy, Mindy Macready."

"Good to meet you, Mindy. First time in foster care?"

"Kind of."

For a moment I thought that I had caught a view through a chink in her armour. There was a vulnerable girl behind all the bravado.

"How old are you, Mindy?"

"More goddamn questions! I'm eight. I'm a girl. My parents are dead. Oh, one more thing – I hate goddamn questions!"

"Sorry!" I said defensively holding both hands up in front of me.

Mindy continued to glare at me.

"Err, rules. No swearing – in bed by nine. Up by seven-thirty for breakfast. Shower at least twice a week. No using up all the hot water. Laundry in the hampers by nine each night. No food in the bedrooms. Err, oh yeah, you must be in the house by seven, each night and you are not allowed to go out until eight the following morning."

"Cool – house arrest!" Mindy said and then stared at me. "Could I have some privacy, please, Dave?"

* * *

'One strange cookie!' I thought as I left the new girl to her own devices.

"Hey, Dave!"

It was Carl, a twelve-year-old kid who had been there for about a year.

"Huh?"

"Was that the new girl?"

"Yeah – bit of a nutcase, if you ask me!" I responded.

"What is she, like seven?"

"Eight, apparently."

* * *

Mindy never appeared in the dining room at lunchtime, so Grace asked me to take a cheeseburger up to her room.

Food in the bedrooms was against the rules, but Grace often bent the rules for new kids. I gently knocked on Mindy's door. There was a flurry of activity inside the room and then the door opened a crack.

"Yeah?" Mindy asked somewhat defensively and then her shoulders slumped when she saw me and she opened the door. "It's you!"

"Grace asked me to bring you some lunch – you must be hungry."

Mindy actually smiled.

"Thanks. I am a bit hungry."

I turned to leave.

"You... You can stay if you want."

I considered that and decided that I had nothing to lose. What bad could come from getting to know the new girl? She seemed too little and too young to be capable of causing any trouble. I sat down on the bed and watched as she crammed the burger into her mouth as fast as possible – she must have been starving!

In a rare pause between chewing, Mindy asked a few questions and made a few statements.

"Sorry for being such a bitch earlier..."

"Hey, it's your first day!" I replied.

"... How old are you?" She asked.

"Ten."

"Been here long?

"Two months.

"Is the warden okay?"

"Grace? Yeah, she's good."

"That wasn't a bad burger – at last the food seems good here!" Mindy commented when she had finished.

Mindy was thin, but she obviously had a good appetite. She had a typical young girl figure; straight up and down without any hips. It occurred to me that without the long blonde hair, which was currently in a ponytail, she could pass for a young boy.

I picked up her plate and headed for the door.

"See you tomorrow, Mindy, night."

"Night, Dave and thanks."

..._...

As usual I was in bed by nine, as was almost everybody else – including the new girl in the room next door. There was some movement, but then there was silence. I fell asleep quite quickly as I often did.

It was dark when I awoke for some reason. Had I heard a noise? I looked at the clock beside my bed; it was around two in the morning. That was when I heard a noise outside and as I scrambled out of bed to investigate, the new girl, Mindy, came to mind – no idea why. I pulled back a curtain and looked out of the window. There atop the wall at the far end of the backyard, I could see a small shape. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a blond ponytail as the figure vanished into the darkness. Oh well, she had seemed quite a nice girl.

I doubted that I would ever see her again.

* * *

 ** _The following morning_**

When I descended the stairs for breakfast, I was considering telling Grace about Mindy.

But as I entered the dining room...

"Morning, Dave!"

Mindy was grinning at me as she helped herself to some pancakes.

"Err, morning, Mindy... You sleep well?"

"Slept like a log, right through," she replied in what was obviously a blatant lie.

"If you say so..."


	2. Curiosity Almost Killed The Dave

It was the same the following night.

Around two in the morning, I watched as my new friend vanished into the darkness again. Where was she going and why was she always so happy at breakfast, later that morning? What had she done to be so happy?

It happened again and again, so after a week of it, I finally decided to investigate further and follow her.

..._...

I had never done anything like that before, but I found it remarkably easy to climb out of my window and hide in the backyard. I did not have to wait long as Mindy soon appeared and rapidly threw herself over the wall. I counted to five, after she had vanished and followed her. As I landed on the other side of the wall, I saw her jogging down the street, towards the City. I did not like where we were going, especially at that time in the damn morning – it was cold too!

Finally, after about forty minutes we reached West 17th Street and Mindy stopped at a recessed pair of doors. She took a glance around and as I watched, Mindy punched a code into a keypad that was mounted beside the door. The door clicked open and she vanished.

I stayed where I was, watching the doorway.

..._...

It was about forty minutes later that I decided she was staying put, so I started heading back to the home. I decided to take some shortcuts and I wandered the alleyways, which in hindsight was probably not a very good idea!

I never really saw anybody, just a few groups keeping to themselves. I was beginning to realise that I had been very stupid sneaking out, especially as nobody knew where I was or that I had even gone out. Then out of nowhere I felt a searing pain in my stomach.

There was another, more massive amount of pain and then a flying sensation...

Then nothing...

* * *

It was a complete accident really.

The stupid idiot surprised the fuck out of me and I just reacted. The six-inch blade sank into his stomach before I even knew it was him. I rapidly pulled it out and as I was about to move to help him, he stumbled backwards and...

 _Wham!_

What the hell a man was doing driving down that goddamn alley, so fucking fast, at almost four in the bloody morning, I had absolutely no idea! However, Dave went flying and I had to admit it was most spectacular – at any other time, I might have laughed myself silly; only it was all my fault...

The car did not stop, but just vanished around a corner. There was only one thing that I could do; I dialled nine-one-one and then ran as fast as my legs would carry me.

What a fuck up!

* * *

 ** _One week later..._**

I had spent every waking minute in the hospital.

Dave had been my only friend in the entire world, despite my only knowing him for a week, but he had been good to me. I had never felt so much guilt in my entire life – well, not since the first time that I had killed somebody. That was only what, two or so years ago? So much had happened in that short space of time...

I had not had to fake the tears when Grace had informed me about Dave being in hospital. He just _had_ to survive, he _had_ to. I spent each hour sitting in a chair in the waiting area as I was not allowed into where my friend was clinging onto life.

His doctor had spoken to me and initially she had refused to say anything about his condition but I told her that I was all Dave had – and that he was all I had... Not exactly a lie! Dr Bennett had taken pity on me and she had informed me that he had broken many bones and there were plenty of other problems, too.

He was in a medically induced coma to help him heal and he was eventually moved into another room where I could visit him. I started to talk to him; talking about this and that, nothing major of course. I told him about my early life, with Marcus – that was safe!

I felt that being with him might ease my guilt – I was very wrong...

* * *

Dave had been in his coma for nearly six weeks and I was getting more and more worried about him.

Dr Bennett kept telling me that Dave was doing well, considering his injuries. I felt so bad about everything – it had been my fault; I should have checked that I was not being followed, but I just assumed that nobody had even saw me leave the house...

How much had Dave seen? Did he know who I was at night? I would not get any answers for many more weeks.

"Hi!"

I span around to see a girl standing in the doorway. She seemed familiar.

"Hi, yourself," I replied.

"I've seen you here in the hospital, a lot."

"I come to sit with Dave."

"He your brother?"

"No – just a friend; my only friend..."

"That's sad..." The girl replied. "My name's Chloe..."

"Mindy..."

"My Mom's Dave's Doctor – Dr Bennett?"

"Oh!" I said.

"Mom works late and I end up roaming the corridors while she finishes things."

"Chloe!" Dr Bennett exclaimed from the doorway. "What have I told you about disturbing the patients?"

"It's not her fault, Dr Bennett," I said quickly. "I asked her to sit with me – it is kind of boring; Dave never says anything!"

"Okay, Mindy..."

I did not think Dr Bennett bought it, but she never said anything as she walked off.

"Who would do such a thing to a kid his age?" Chloe asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, stab him – some deranged lunatic..."

I felt so low.

"Excuse me..." I muttered and I ran out of the room and to the nearest bathroom.

There I sat and cried my eyes out.

* * *

Chloe was gone by the time I returned to Dave's room and it was time for me to get back to the home.

I squeezed Dave's hand for a moment but I felt nothing in return. The bus ride was long and I had never felt as low as I had at that moment. I went straight to my room after checking in with Grace. After getting undressed, I dived into bed and found myself crying again.

Could I ever tell Dave that it was me, who had stabbed him?

No. I could never admit that, ever.

A part of me said that I should, but then I might just lose the only friend that I had – but what sort of a friendship was built on a lie?

"Daddy, I wish you were here to guide me..."


	3. Fate

Fate.

Did I believe in fate?

Yes, I did.

Was our meeting, fate?

Maybe it was – my meeting Dave.

Daddy always taught me that things happen for a reason.

When Daddy was alive, that seemed perfectly logical. But then he was killed and by his own logic, that was 'for a reason', too. Kind of fucked up logic if you ask me! I also found out that Marcus had been killed, too – only the night before. What the fucking _reasons_ behind my losing the only two people in my life, were, I had absolutely no idea.

Sometimes, being eight fucking sucked!

* * *

Yet again, I was standing my vigil at Dave's bedside.

Actually, I was sitting, but never mind... I really had no idea what to say to him – I had run out of 'safe' things to say about Mindy Macready; there were not all that many of them! The room was warm and I was very tired having been there for many hours straight, not to mention that I had not been eating properly either, so I must have dozed off.

...+...

 _"Hey, baby-doll; you seem to be suffering."_

 _"Yes, Daddy, I am."_

 _"These things happen. It was not your fault."_

 _"He was my friend."_

 _"He still is; he is not dead yet."_

 _"But, Daddy, how can I face him when he wakes up – I stabbed him for fuck's sake!"_

 _"Yes, you did, child, and you will have to live with that..."_

 _"But, I can't – he is my only friend and..."_

 _"Tell him – he is a good kid and I think he will forgive you. You can't be Hit Girl on your own, child – you are going to need help and I think you were destined to meet this boy..."_

 _"Yeah, yeah, I know about fate, yadda, yadda, yadda!"_

 _"Trust him – train him..."_

 _"Train him!"_

...+...

"Train who?"

"Huh? What?"

I looked up, a little confused and momentarily unaware of where I was – I was lying with my head on my crossed arms and leaning on Dave's bed. There at the end of the bed stood Chloe.

"Oh, hi, Chloe..."

"You okay?"

"Sorry, I must have dozed off for a minute."

* * *

Finally, as we neared the eight-week point, I decided to come clean to Dave.

Yeah, he was still in a coma, but I had to start somewhere!

"Dave, I am _so_ sorry for doing this to you – if I had not been sneaking out, then you would never have followed me and I would never have..." I struggled to say it – even to a guy in a coma. "Then, I would never have stabbed you and you might not be like this..."

I started sobbing again – I had been doing that quite a lot lately. I got up – I needed to walk about for a few minutes and clear my head. I had reached the door when I thought I heard something – I looked back at Dave. It was nothing, so I headed out the door...

"Mindy..."

I spun around.

"Fuck me!" I yelled out. "Dave!"

As I watched, his eyes opened and I saw his blue eyes for the first time in two months – I liked his blue eyes...

"Hi, Mindy..."

"Hi, Dave..."

I felt myself smiling like a giddy school girl and it made me hate myself, but I was _so_ happy that Dave was finally awake – I also hated that I was crying again!

"Mindy, it was not your fault..."

"What?"

"Never mind."

* * *

Dave still had a long way to go.

Just because he was conscious, _did not_ mean that he was ready to be released from the hospital. I received a shock only a week later – it was a turning point for both Dave _and_ me.

I had been chatting with Dave – it was so good to actually have a two-sided conversation for a change! Dave wanted to be updated on everything that he had missed over the preceding nine weeks. Neither of us mentioned the attack that had put him in the hospital in the first place – I was very happy with that... We were also able to discuss his X-rays which were put up for him to see.

"You're fucking Wolverine, Dave!"

"That's enough of that language, young lady!" Dr Bennett said strongly.

"Sorry..."

"Mindy, can I have a word with you and Dave, please."

Dr Bennett closed the door of the room before sitting down. I was instantly on guard.

"Over the past nine weeks, I have got to know you, Mindy and I think you are a wonderful young girl – a bit rough at the edges, but I'm sure we can file them off with a bit of work..."

Dave sniggered at the comment, attracting a raised eyebrow from Dr Bennett. Dave had met Chloe for the first time only four days before and he thought she was great – if a bit weird. However, he did say that she was not as weird as me – was that supposed to be a compliment?

"You two want to stay together, don't you?"

I nodded instantly and so did Dave. I gripped his hand tightly – tight enough for him to grimace, so I eased off, just a bit.

"I understand that it is time for Mindy to move on from where you have been living and as there is no actual kinship between the two of you, you will each go your separate ways..."

"Tell me about it!" I growled.

That had been something at the back of my mind for a while, ever since Grace had mentioned it a few days before.

"I think I may have a solution – but only if you both want it..."

"Spit it out woman!" I demanded.

Dr Bennett laughed and smiled at me. I liked her smile; it was reassuring and she genuinely cared.

"How about you both come and live with me and crazy girl..."

Dr Bennett hesitated and bit her lip as she awaited our response.

* * *

I was stunned and by the look on Mindy's face, so was she.

Mindy had told me how wonderful Dr Bennett was and how much fun Chloe was, but I had only known them for a few days, despite them both knowing me for weeks. It was a plan – I so wanted to stay with Mindy and knowing that she had spent almost every day at my bedside meant a lot to me; she obviously cared.

"I'm registered as a foster parent, so nothing is binding – it will just be somewhere to live. But if you wanted it to be a permanent arrangement..."

Mindy closed her eyes and I was certain that I saw the beginnings of a tear, but it vanished quickly as Mindy regained her composure. She looked at me and I looked into her green eyes – I saw a lot in that brief moment: torment, fear, pain, anger, worry and something else...

She nodded and I nodded back.


	4. A New Home

It felt really strange; I was actually back on my feet for the first time in three months!

Mind you, from a totally 'boy' point of view, it was great to have two girls helping me as I took to my feet – I was a bit shaky at first and the floor felt cold. Mindy smiled up at me on my right, with Chloe on my left. I had to admit that Mindy felt warm and cuddly beneath my arm; she was also noticeably and remarkably strong too for an eight-year-old.

"Take it slowly, Dave... There is _no_ need to rush," Dr Bennett said gently.

It would require a few of weeks of physiotherapy before I could leave the hospital, but I was at least on the road to recovery!

* * *

 ** _March 1st 2016  
Tuesday_**

Chloe and Dr Bennett lived in a large house, in Brooklyn.

Dave left the hospital and we both saw our new home together. The property was spread over four floors and it was enormous! Chloe had her own bedroom on the fourth floor. Dave was given the other bedroom on the fourth floor, which was also the top floor of the property. I was to share with Chloe.

I did not mind, as long as she did not have any weird habits!

..._...

It felt a little weird too, being in a place like that – it was new to me and it was the fourth place that I had called home in eight years. I also had hard choices to make.

Since Dave had been injured, four months previously, I had not worn the costume – not once... Now that Dave was out of his coma, as well as out of the hospital and getting better, I had a question: should I go back out as Hit Girl? I was awkwardly aware that my going out as Hit Girl, all those weeks ago, was what had caused Dave to spend months in hospital in the first place...

..._...

I had decided to _try_ to remain as Mindy Macready.

Only at the time, I had had no idea how hard that was going to be... I became a bitch rather quickly – some might say that I always was a bitch... I could not deny that, but not having Hit Girl as a way to alleviate my temper, was having an effect on me...

Over the first week, I was regularly being called out for my language, which Dr Bennett refused to tolerate. I had discovered that Chloe had a vocabulary almost as good as mine – I said _almost_ ; _nobody_ swore better than Hit Girl!

I was doing my best to behave, but I needed an outlet – I had not even been back to the Safehouse in weeks.

* * *

 ** _Sunday_**

We had only been at our new home, Dave and me, for a little over a week.

We would talk a lot, Dave and Me – Chloe too. That morning, the three of us were sitting on the bed in Chloe's bedroom.

"I still can't understand how some total lowlife could actually stab a kid and then leave him to die!" Chloe exclaimed suddenly. "They are the scum of the earth and..."

I felt _so_ fucking low as I listened to Chloe ranting on about Dave's attacker... Chloe really cared for Dave and me, and she would regularly go off on a rant about Dave being, almost, stabbed to death. Normally, I was able to just ignore it all and I sometimes joined in, but...

I could not do it anymore; I could not mask my emotions a moment longer.

* * *

I saw Mindy's face change and I had a distinct feeling that she was upset; I also had a feeling why.

Chloe stopped jabbering on and she turned to Mindy.

"What are you looking like that for?" She asked. "It's not like _you_ stabbed Dave..."

Mindy looked up at Chloe; she looked wretched and ashamed.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me?"

* * *

I shook my head and I felt the tears running down my cheeks.

"No – you couldn't have; you're Dave's friend..."

I began crying even harder.

"I shouldn't have been there..." Dave said quietly. "It was not Mindy's fault..."

It was time to come clean to my friends – the only friends I had in the entire world. I sucked back my sobs and struggled to contain my emotions, wiping away the tears.

"Chloe, we need to go for a ride – can you get your Mom to take us?"

"Of course..." Chloe said, a worried expression crossing her face.

* * *

"Mom!"

"Yes, Chloe – please don't shout like that in the house..." Dr Cathy Bennett replied.

"Can you take us into the City – please?" Chloe asked her mother.

I watched as Dr Bennett ran her eyes over her daughter, Mindy and then me. I saw suspicion in her eyes.

"Let's go..."

* * *

 ** _West 17th Street_**

We were back at the same set of recessed doors as before.

Mindy punched in a seven-digit code and the doors clicked open. She waved us all in, through the doors and then pushed them closed behind us. Mindy then waved us on, up some stairs.

"Second floor, door on the left," she growled.

Chloe and her mother looked very concerned.

"Mindy, what are you leading us into?" Dr Bennett asked. "Are we safe?"

Mindy thought about that as we climbed the stairs.

"To be honest? Maybe..."

..._...

We stopped at a large pair of steel, double doors.

"Cool!" Chloe exclaimed as Mindy touched the right hand door and a keypad was illuminated.

Mindy punched in another seven-digit code and the right-hand door clicked open.

"In!" She growled simply as she pulled it open.

We all complied and walked into the darkness.

* * *

Mindy vanished to the left and I heard the sound of something substantial clicking into place.

It must have been a circuit breaker, as lights began to come on over our heads, illuminating what seemed to be a small apartment. We passed through another doorway and over to our left was a small kitchen with a large rectangular table that had two chairs on one side – four more identical chairs were stacked, two deep, against the wall. To our right was a large 'L-shaped' couch with an equally large flat-screen TV before it.

Behind the TV was a doorway that led somewhere else. It all seemed very normal-ish. I noticed that Mindy seemed very apprehensive about being in the room.

"It's okay, Mindy – keep going," I said reassuringly and she smiled up at me.

Opposite the door where we had entered, was an archway and as we approached it, Mindy hit several light switches to the right of the archway and we were hit by the bright lights illuminating a lot of white before us.

..._...

Through the archway was a large room with white panelling on every wall. The whiteness reflected the bright lights set into the ceiling and illuminated a large exercise mat to the left and a small, but well-equipped workshop to the right. However, it was not the white panelling on the walls, which caught our attention; it was what the panelling supported.

"How many?" Chloe asked, mesmerised by the display before her.

"One hundred and twenty-two..." Mindy replied, seemingly automatically.

"Can I?" Chloe asked, pointing at the wall.

Mindy nodded with a smile as Chloe reached out and plucked a pistol off the rack and looked at it closely.

"Is it...?"

"No, it's not loaded – none of them are... It's a Glock 26, by the way..."

Dr Bennett seemed astonished by what she was witnessing.

"Mindy, what the hell are you into?" She breathed, surprising us all, as she _never_ swore.


	5. Hit Girl Revealed

**Sunday**

 **Safehouse A**

Dr Bennett turned away from Mindy to examine the mannequin that stood at the far end of the room, beyond the mat.

On the mannequin was a purple outfit, complete with a kilt and a pink utility belt. It actually looked kinda cool!

"When I'm not Mindy Macready, I'm Hit Girl. I am a vigilante – I am charged with protecting those that cannot protect themselves... Only I fucked up and broke the cardinal rule of the vigilante: do no harm to an innocent..."

"Accidents happen in any line of work, Mindy," Dr Bennett advised – catching on to what Mindy was meaning.

"I don't blame you, Mindy – it _was_ an accident..." I insisted. "I should never have tried to follow you."

"Have you..., I mean, how many...?" Chloe asked in awe.

"Thirty-eight," Mindy replied, again seemingly automatically, with no thought.

"My God!" Dr Bennett exclaimed.

I saw Mindy look up at Dr Bennett and then over to Chloe.

..._...

"I stabbed Dave..." she began.

"She started going out at night, the first night at the orphanage – I followed her a week later, and I finally tracked her to this place, but after going inside, she never reappeared. I got lost heading home and then the next thing I knew..." I interrupted as I subconsciously touched the knife wound in my stomach.

"I want you all to know what I really am, what I'm like, before things go too far – I am _not_ a normal kid and I _don't_ belong in a normal family. My Daddy was killed, two weeks before I entered the orphanage and so was the next closest person – I had nobody left. Daddy was a vigilante and he has trained me since I was five. It is the only life that I know and I will understand your hating me for it – I..."

Chloe glared at Mindy and then smiled.

"Mindy, you can be such a fucking ass, sometimes!" She said, ignoring the look of acute disdain from her mother as she swore.

"Despite my daughter's appalling choice of words, she is quite correct," Dr Bennett added, nodding to her daughter.

"I don't care how many people you've killed, Mindy – the offer is still open for Dave _and_ you. You want to live with us, you can, with no strings attached..." Chloe finished. "... Apart from you being my sister!"

Mindy sank down to the mat and she began to sob.

* * *

After twenty minutes, Mindy calmed down, with the help of Chloe.

Chloe looked up at her mother from where she sat on the mat with Mindy.

"Chloe..." Her mother began. "I know that look. Now, if you are..."

Chloe jumped to her feet letting Mindy, who had been leaning against her, fall to the floor in an annoyed heap. Chloe's face clouded and she began yelling at her mother.

"You _never_ let me..."

"I'm not stopping you..." Her mother chipped in.

"...do anything..."

"If you want..."

"...that I want..."

"...to become a vigilante..."

"...you can be _so_ mean, I..."

"...then you can," Dr Bennett finished.

Chloe suddenly went silent.

"What...! You mean...? Oh – my – God! I love you Mom – you always give me what I want; I love you!"

"If you snap that pretty little nine-year-old neck of yours, and kill yourself, just don't come crying to me!"

"This is going to be _so_ awesome!" Chloe explained, as she seized hold of Mindy, who had just got back to her feet and hugged her tightly – Mindy growled.

"If you do not let me go, I will break your arms!"

"No, you won't!" Chloe replied as she kissed Mindy on the nose and then let her go before she exploded.

Mindy rubbed her nose, grimacing and then glaring at Chloe who just grinned back, unrepentant.

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I, Dave?" Mindy asked rhetorically as she looked up at me.

* * *

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

God, I hope Chloe's not some sort of closest lesbian! What on earth possessed her to kiss me on the nose? Yuck!

Oh, well – at least I no longer have any secrets and I still cannot believe that Dr Bennett did not just call the cops and have me arrested. Yes, I would have allowed the cops to take me away; I felt _that_ guilty about hurting Dave.

Mindy, you have a fun life ahead of you!

* * *

 ** _Two days later_**

 ** _Safehouse A_**

Dave, Chloe and I were down at the Safehouse.

I stood before the two sorry looking assholes and glared at them.

"So, you both wanna become vigilantes, huh?"

Chloe and Dave nodded in unison.

"Well, _you_ are not ready to begin training yet, but you can still learn some other shit, Dave – as for you, Chloe... You can put that pistol back – you will learn some hand to hand movements first, and if you learn them _all_ to _my_ satisfaction, you _may_ move onto firearms."

Chloe looked unhappy as she replaced the Glock 26 on the rack. I turned to Dave.

"Turn to face, silly bitch... Chloe, face Dave... Good – at least you can both follow orders!"

Chloe grinned – she seemed to be enjoying herself. I smirked.

"Dave – slap Chloe..."

 _Smack!_

Oh shit; I did _not_ see that coming! I expected Dave to refuse, but damn, he slapped her really hard, too... Chloe was aghast at what had just happened to her and she just stared at Dave, her left hand clamped to her very red left cheek.

"Why...?" She stammered to Dave.

"A bitchy little eight-year-old told me to."

"I am _not_ little... Just short... Anyway – I'm pleased that you can follow my instructions. I'd apologise Chloe, but you should have ducked!"

..._...

I sat Dave down with a pistol and left him to figure out how to take it down to its component parts. As for Chloe – I decided it was time to show her _who_ was the big sister! The girl seemed very apprehensive, despite having a good four inches of height advantage on me and a good few pounds too.

I threw the older girl around some, which resulted in some screams and some _very_ foul language! Chloe failed to get _any_ hits on me, but she was learning to duck – or at least attempt a dodge of some kind. The first round of sparring ended with Chloe on her back and me sitting on her stomach, pinning her down, both of her arms above her head.

"You need to move quicker and learn to dodge better..." I lectured leaning down to growl in her face. "For now, you are a useless piece of shit, as far as I'm concerned... You need to do the unexpected to catch an opponent out..."

I was cut off as Chloe smiled and planted a kiss on my lips with her own. I flew backwards in shock and landed on my own ass. Chloe surprised me by leaping to her feet remarkably fast and pinning _me_ to the mat!

"Hey, I'm the big sister around here – you just remember that, kid!" Chloe grinned, about a tenth of a second before I flipped her over and pinned her with my right forearm across her throat.

"You were saying?" I growled.

Dave was laughing and I felt myself blushing.

* * *

I discovered that Dr Bennett had a warped sense of humour.

"Mindy, do I need to be worried about you cutting my throat during the night?" She had asked over dinner, the first night after my proclamation about being the vigilante known as Hit Girl.

"No – you're safe, but any burglar will be dog meat!" I replied with a big grin.

"True," Dave added. "Mindy's much better behaved than a Rottweiler and I've yet to see her pooping on the carpet!"

I muttered something vile under my breath as I felt myself blushing.

"Mindy! What have I told you about using those kind of words?"

Apparently, Dr Bennett also had very good hearing...


	6. The Training Begins

**_Two weeks later_**

While I stayed with non-physical training, Mindy kicked the crap out of Chloe.

Mindy seemed a lot happier and much less moody, now that she had a human punch bag. Chloe, though, quite understandably, she was _not_ so happy... Chloe had shown me some of her bruises one night and I had to admit that they looked very painful. Chloe, in general, was a very brave girl and she had plenty of courage; she was not outwardly scared of Mindy, but she _was_ becoming wary and I did advise Mindy to go easy on Chloe before she actually manged to break a part of the young girl.

I liked Chloe. I had not known her as long as Mindy had, but she was nice and she had a wicked sense of humour and she could swear almost as badly as Mindy could – at least when her Mom was well out of earshot. Chloe, at nine-years-old, was outwardly determined not to be outdone by an eight-year-old – she said it was embarrassing. However, Mindy had been very well trained and she may only have been short and eight, but she was lethal and sometimes she got carried away and more than once she had left Chloe in tears of pain.

Mindy, for her part, hated it when she hurt Chloe, but she was very good at hiding her emotions and while I could see a hint of concern, Mindy pretended _not_ to be concerned whenever Chloe took a beating and was left crying. Mindy was also a bitch! I had always known that – ever since that day when we had first met. She would pick up on the tiniest mistake and rub it in and there were some days that I resented her, but all in all, I really liked Mindy and Chloe.

..._...

Mindy and I had been given a new chance at a life where somebody cared for us. Dr Bennett was always there to talk to and she enjoyed having three kids in the house. She had bought Mindy and I some new clothes and she had spoilt us – but she had spoilt Chloe too, so all was fair. We had yet to meet her husband, Commander Ryan Bennett USN – he was away at sea and he would be for another month or two.

Despite Mindy enjoying her new role, that of training us delinquents, I could tell that she was desperate to get back out on the streets. I had called her out on it, but she had denied it; however, I knew different, I was figuring out her moods, her expressions, and her mannerisms. The young girl was hurting and I hated to see that.

She had a need to kill – at least, I thought so.

* * *

I would wake up at night and take a serious look at what I was doing.

I had taken on two kids, one of whom was a mass murderer, and another who was fresh out of a coma after having been in a life-threatening stabbing and car accident. I skipped over the fact that the girl I had taken on was the one that had actually stabbed the boy!

Ryan and I had talked on the phone and he had agreed with taking the two kids in – I had not been able to go into much detail about anything more than that the girl was eight and the boy was ten. I definitely could _not_ discuss Mindy's extra-curricular activities over a satellite link. It would have to wait until Ryan returned – I was _not_ looking forward to _that_ conversation...

For now, I turned a blind eye to Mindy training my daughter to kill people – I looked at the training as teaching Chloe to defend herself. Who was I kidding? Aiding and abetting – twenty to life... Oh, well, it could be worse, I suppose.

Just _how_ , exactly, could it be worse!

* * *

Despite the pain, and bruises in places I never knew I even had, I was having the time of my life!

I was learning to fight – and to defend myself which was a bonus. Mainly, I wanted to fight... I wanted to shoot a gun, but my _little_ sister who seemed to own hundreds and hundreds of guns would not let me even _touch_ one! I was one year, one month and twenty-seven days older than that little bitch – that should at least count for something...

I had mastered falling down, being thrown down, being tripped, being kicked and also being punched – I decided that it was time to move onto something else; I was getting fed up with Little Miss Bossy Boots!

The downtrodden fly was about to turn on the spider...

* * *

Dave had told me to go easy on the girl – I was Hit Girl; I went easy on no one!

I had to admit, it was fun – Chloe was like a spring-loaded mannequin; every time I knocked her down, she would spring straight back up again for more. Somebody really needed to teach the girl _how_ to stay down!

Okay, I was being a bitch – so fucking what! Maybe I was getting complacent, maybe it was the weeks with no proper action – no killing. Dave said I was like a vampire with no blood – nevertheless, I _should_ have seen it coming; I was behaving like a fucking amateur and Daddy was probably spinning in his grave!

* * *

Chloe was flat on the mat – as usual; only, this time, she did not spring straight back up again for Mindy to pounce on.

Maybe she was learning – no; I could see a smirk on her lips. Mindy was behind her and was looking at Chloe's ass, so she had no idea that something was about to happen.

"Get up!" Mindy yelled and I saw Chloe shut her eyes tightly.

Mindy strode forwards and came up Chloe's left side and reached down to grab her pants – that was when Chloe moved. I noticed that her arms were close into her sides, her elbows dug in. Chloe rolled to her left and kept rolling – Mindy's feet were swept out from beneath her and she crashed to the mat where quick as a flash, Chloe jumped up and rammed both of her fists into Mindy's stomach.

Mindy doubled over and emptied her lungs in a scream of pain. Chloe, was _not_ done – she grabbed Mindy by the neck of her t-shirt and dragged her across the mat. Did I say that Chloe was quite strong? Well she was, and Mindy was relatively light and therefore easy to move. Mindy was not vanquished, not by a long shot...

She unravelled, yanked the bigger girl down to the mat and pinned her with an arm across her throat.

"Gotcha!" Mindy exclaimed, as she then released her hold.

I saw Chloe move fast and plant a kiss on Mindy's lips – the smirk vanished as Mindy threw herself backwards and landed in an undignified heap on the mat and glowered at Chloe while she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

After a minute, Mindy got to her feet and she smiled. She held out a hand and pulled Chloe to her feet.

"Well done!" Mindy said, somewhat incredulously. "Unorthodox, and a bit creepy, but nonetheless, it was effective!"

Chloe was red in the face from the exertion, but I was sure there was some pink too.

* * *

Well, that was both creepy and humiliating, but that girl could _not_ shock me any further!

I savoured the hot water as it cascaded over me and removed the last of the sweat from my skin. I had just started on my hair when I heard a voice.

"Hi, Mindy, can I join you?"

I turned to see Chloe who was just as naked as I was.

"I am going to say this just once – so listen good," I growled. I had considered pushing her up against the wall of the shower but I decided that that would give the wrong impression. "I am _not_ interested in girls; I am _not_ a lesbian – so kissing and sharing a shower cannot lead to _anything_!"

Chloe shrugged.

"Never crossed my mind – you're my sister and sisters kiss and share stuff, so get used to it, bitch," she replied as she grabbed the bottle of shampoo from my hand. "I _so_ kicked your skinny butt!"

I felt _so_ relieved...

"Yes, Chloe, you did – but never again..."


End file.
